This national study was produced for the federal government's Office of Energy Efficiency and explores how municipalities could finance energy efficiency improvements using local improvement charges — a tool already familiar to most municipalities.
The report provides a province by province assessment of the legal and financial aspects of using this innovative concept — first analyzed by Pembina in its ground breaking 2004 report Using Local Improvement Charges to Finance Building Energy Efficiency Improvements: A Concept Report. The authors interviewed provincial and municipal staff for the national report, to identify interest and obtain views on how to apply the concept. Various options for financing a municipal efficiency program using the concept were also explored. The report provides a "road map" for provinces and the federal government along with interested municipalities to pilot the concept in Canada.
